Condemnation of continued human rights violations in Saudi Arabia
3.7.2020
Question for written answer E-003962/2020/rev.1
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 138
Fulvio Martusciello (PPE), Gianna Gancia (ID)
The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, has had human rights activists and political opponents detained and now seems to be targeting civilians.
On 13 April 2020, the Saudi security forces killed an activist named Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti who was protesting against plans to displace local tribes to make way for a futuristic megacity called Neom. When the authorities came to raid his house and arrest him, he opened fire, according to Saudi officials. Members of the Huwaitat tribe were not prepared to move to make way for Neom, he claimed, and were worried the government would persecute them for refusing to do so.
20 000 people attended the protest, mostly members of the ancient Huwaitat tribe, including al-Huwaiti, who had spent months speaking up for them in online videos before the government shot him dead in his own home.
After al-Huwaiti’s death, prominent Saudi rights advocates began sharing a hashtag on Twitter – one of the most popular social networks in the kingdom – calling him a martyr. Another activist from the tribe, Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti told the BBC that she was threatened in a phone call.
- 1.What can the Vice-President/ High Representative do to protect human rights in Saudi Arabia in the light of further forced displacement as part of the megacity project?
- 2.What can be done to prevent more deaths and similar scenarios? Could the new Magnistky act be applied?